Sister Cities

The Sister Cities program aims to encourage fruitful relationships with the Council's four Sister Cities through personal exchanges of information and support of cultural and academic visits.

Mount Hagen, PNG

Orange City Council has had a Sister City relationship with Mount Hagen in the Papua New Guinea Highlands for more than 20 years.

Through AusAid funding, there has been a tight focus on assisting the 60,000 people that live in and around the township. The City Council has worked on numerous issues in Mount Hagen including waste management, sanitation, traffic, pedestrian plans and governance.

The Council’s work has been recognised and supported in PNG and by AusAid. This work included support for a $4 million rural market and traffic facilities near the markets that reduced pedestrian fatalities and injuries. There is regular exchange between Mount Hagen and Orange.

Mount Hagen is third largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is the capital of the Western Highlands Province and is located in the large fertile Wahgi Valley in central mainland PNG, at an elevation of 1,677 m (5,502 ft). The Highlands Highway is the main arterial route to connect Mount Hagen with the coastal cities of Lae and Madang. The city is named after the old eroded volcano Mount Hagen, located about 24 kilometres to the northwest.

Ushiku, Japan

The City of Ushiku is located in the southern part of Ibaraki prefecture, about 50km north of Tokyo.

The Sister City relationship with Orange began in 1990. Ushiku's border extends 15km from east to west and 10km from north to south. The whole area of the city is 58.89 square kilometres. With its historical aspects, Ushiku Town was formed as a result of mergers in 1954 and 1955. Ushiku became a city on 1 June 1986. It became the 19th city in Ibaraki prefecture.

The population as of 1990 was 60,000 and it rose to 70,000 as of August 1997. The latest estimates suggest the population has grown to 80,020. Ushiku City in collaboration with the neighbouring cities helps to ease the huge population concentrated in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Ushiku and Orange have regular exchanges, predominantly involving students from both cities.

Timaru, New Zealand

The Timaru District covers 2602 square kilometres of diverse landscape on the South Canterbury coastline on New Zealand’s South Island.

The Sister City relationship with Orange was established in 1986. The District's north and south boundaries are naturally defined by two rivers, the Rangitata and the Pareora, both known for good fishing and swimming. There are 44,000 residents in the district.

Orange, California, USA

Orange has had a Sister City relationship with its namesake in California since 1963.

The United States City of Orange, with a population of 138,640 is situated in Central Orange County, approximately 32 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The City's land area is 27 square miles. The City of Orange was incorporated on April 6, 1888 under the general laws of the State of California.